GR to New England and Canada, a review with Pics

[hansolosmom]

Thank you for your review. We did a similar trip on Princess out of NYC a couple years ago & I loved going up there.

 

We just booked a GR cruise this coming April so it was nice to see the pictures and hear about the ship.

[relaxatsea]

Thank you for your great review and photos!

I have been considering this itinerary for a long time and hope to do it next year.

[kenrod]

Thank you for your review. It was a pleasure to read.

[RSLeesburg]

Just got back from a lovely 8 day cruise out of Baltimore.

 

Stats:

 

Ship: Grandeur of the Seas

Date 19-27 September 2013

Itinerary: Portland, Bar Harbor, St John, Halifax

Cabin: 8012, Grand Suite

 

Weather: with the exception of Bar Harbor( tender port and canceled) the weather was mostly decent.. sure it was a little brisk/windy, but temps were not all that bad. not too many sun worshippers though....

 

Day One, 19 September. Happy anniversary to us! today is our 15th and what better way to kick it off than by cruising! We live about 20 minutes from port so began our vacation with a side trip to our favorite Mom and Pop joint for breakfast. I had scrapple. He had an omelet.

 

got to port at 0915 and they only let us in as far as the second guard shack. we were the fifth car in line. we were told they would not start letting us in to drop off baggage til about 10 30, so we all got out of our cars and started chatting. They lied. at 10 am, we were off around the corner. Baltimore is an easy as all get out port to get to and disgustingly efficient once there.

 

they have expanded a bit, with new check in lines for D+/Pinnacle as well as the usual Suite line. dropped off luggage at 10, was on board before 1045 and that included a 15 minute wait before they opened the doors at 1030. yes the Gangway of Doom still exists. if you have a hard time on semi steep inclines, ask for the handicapped boarding. your calves will thank you.

 

That being said, if you are the type that wants to go immediately to lunch, WAIT until later to arrive. Windjammer did not begin serving until 1130 and Park Cafe was even later at 130. Sure a pool bar was open but they don't serve appetizers. The cabins were not released until just before 130. it was a bit of limbo for the first 2 hours or so with nothing to do but wander or camp out in a corner somewhere. The Centrum had a piano player to provide distraction.

 

there were a grand whopping 7 kids on board this cruise, but at our Mid 40s we were among the youngest of the adults. a LOT of rollators, ECVs and wheelchairs all week long, which made for crowded elevators and hallways at times.

 

Muster went smoothly, even if a few people were..lost..at first.

 

Initial impressions: we only have EN to compare to, GR's big sister. the lack of those extra cabins were immediately noticed though as the public spaces were a lot less crowded despite the penchant for camping out in one spot all day long( more on that later) GR is is just as good a shape as EN and I am pleased to report exactly ZERO sewer smells anywhere on board. (I'll get to the cigarette smoke later)

 

 

The Cabin: okay we admit it, we are snobs. we have only sailed in GS before and have no intentions of going smaller willingly. 8012 is right by the forward elevator, and across from an inside cabin which I preferred over the housekeeping closet/crew space/elevator/whatever it was across from 8032 on EN. the cabin , we decided, was about a sq foot or two smaller than EN but after about 5 minutes we didn't miss it. there were no loungers on the balcony, although the large table with 2 comfy chairs was, as well as a single less comfy chair. we did not ask for loungers as we felt they would not fit comfortably and quite frankly did not expect to have the inclination to lie out there and nap. Hey, It's Autumn in New England! growing up I'd be in snowsuits by now.

 

Minor issues that were noticed but not enough to pitch a fit about:

 

Drawers either stuck, or rolled open every time the ship rocked

 

Bathroom door seemed to not want to close at all without shoving against it.

 

main door the same. in fact we came back to it after breakfast one morning to find that our door had not closed all the way at all( and Dede the steward had not yet been by). After that we got anal about making sure doors shut properly.

 

Here are some thumbnails to start, I will work on getting full size ones DL to Photbucket for your viewing pleasure.

 

Hey, I wanted to ask if your side o the ship was quieter? We were in 8514, and could hear chairs moving a lot. At first, I was thinking it was because we were under the outside seating area for WJ, but then later I realized that this was also one of the smoking areas. So maybe it was more active than the other side :D. I just booked this side again for next year, but if you side was mor quiet, I may switch while there are still rooms available....lol

[spookwife]

Hey, I wanted to ask if your side o the ship was quieter? We were in 8514, and could hear chairs moving a lot. At first, I was thinking it was because we were under the outside seating area for WJ, but then later I realized that this was also one of the smoking areas. So maybe it was more active than the other side :D. I just booked this side again for next year, but if you side was mor quiet, I may switch while there are still rooms available....lol

 

nope. in fact, when the HD came to visit us one evening on the CL she got an EARFUL from someone two cabins down who was most displeased at being woken up at 715 every morning. she asked the rest of us and we all agreed it was an issue. last night, we got a letter offering us 20% off our next cruise. I need to find that so I can keep it handy, its only good for a year...

 

we heard it too, but we were always up by then anyway. that is one oddity on placement of the suites.. right under the Windjammer or pool.

 

the smoking area was DEFINITELY far busier on our cruise.. with every seat being used all day long with people camping out to play cards and smoke. but the older demographic I think played a part. I avoided it like the plague, I am one of those who gets violent coughing fits just passing by a lit cigarette.

[RSLeesburg]

nope. in fact, when the HD came to visit us one evening on the CL she got an EARFUL from someone two cabins down who was most displeased at being woken up at 715 every morning. she asked the rest of us and we all agreed it was an issue. last night, we got a letter offering us 20% off our next cruise. I need to find that so I can keep it handy, its only good for a year...

 

we heard it too, but we were always up by then anyway. that is one oddity on placement of the suites.. right under the Windjammer or pool.

 

the smoking area was DEFINITELY far busier on our cruise.. with every seat being used all day long with people camping out to play cards and smoke. but the older demographic I think played a part. I avoided it like the plague, I am one of those who gets violent coughing fits just passing by a lit cigarette.

 

WOW, maybe we should have complained...lol. But, it was not that bad - the first day/night and the last night were the worse. But when I first booked, I was warned that you would hear some noise. It is an odd place to put the suites, but they were so convenient to get around. Many times, my wife or I would run up quickly to WJ for coffee or ice cream, and bring it back to the room.

 

The smoking area was fairly busy on our cruise too...

[cruiseclues]

Nice Review, and thanks for the photos...Would you mind elaborating on the details of the Dinner package...cost...and what money they actually credited you per person for each dinner at Izumi's since it is Al a Carte. :):):):)

Edited October 10, 2013 by cruiseclues

[spookwife]

Nice Review, and thanks for the photos...Would you mind elaborating on the details of the Dinner package...cost...and what money they actually credited you per person for each dinner at Izumi's since it is Al a Carte. :):):):)

 

the all inclusive( Chops, Giovannis, Chef's table and Izumi) was $155

 

the one that did NOT include CT was $60 I think..I'd have to hunt through and see if I can find the final bill.

 

we ended up getting CT at half price after we had purchased( and used) the smaller package.. they had a mostly empty table for the second CT seating and were begging for takers. as it was we still only had 7 out of a possible 12.

 

Next time we'll just book all of them at once. I had been leery of Chops having been unimpressed at the one on EN( service wise more than food wise). the GR staff blew us away.

 

you get a $20 credit per person at Izumi: $5 to cover the entrance fee and $15 to spend on yummies. there were only one or two of the combo sets that were above that $15 threshold.

[cruiseclues]

Thanks for the info from someone different than Royal Caribbean...who gave me several different prices for what you were credited for Izumi's (I talked to 3 different RCI people). They currently advertise on their site a $55 package for the three restaurants...though Royal Caribbean has many pages which are not up to date, especially in regard to the recent changes.

 

On their Dining Options page, which you can click on at the bottom of any of their individual cruise ship pages. Their Dining Options page is very much out of date in regard to which cruise ships have which specialty restaurants. The complimentary dining on the Dining Options page has the same problems. The Dining Options page as a tool for selling the specialty restaurants, and selecting a cruise ship because you want one of those restaurants is just plain bad business for Royal Caribbean.

 

I guess that's just one more of the many reasons we need Cruise Critic. :)

Edited October 10, 2013 by cruiseclues

[Plutoqueen]

Thanks for the pics and great review! Looking forward to our ne cruise in October . :D